


Caroline

by dingymechanic



Category: All Time Low (Band)
Genre: (was formerly MPreg but I'm uncomfortable with that lol), Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Heartbreak, M/M, Pregnancy, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-18 09:07:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28989723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dingymechanic/pseuds/dingymechanic
Summary: **Formerly on Wattpad**Alex and Jack seemingly have a perfect life, they're best friends, in a successful band and seemingly invincible - at least, to their fans they are. Hell, they even have a secret on-again-off-again relationship, or HAD, until Alex got married. Trying to get over his heart getting broken, Jack pretends that everything is okay. That is until he realizes something that changes everything.
Relationships: Alex Gaskarth/Original Female Character(s), Jack Barakat/Alex Gaskarth
Kudos: 7





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Okay! I'm gonna say it here REAL quick! This is on Wattpad, but I decided I no longer wanna write on there for multiple reasons. Additionally, due to the fact that Lisa is a very nice person, she doesn't exist in this universe because for plot purposes, the person Alex marries initially has to be a dick - so instead I made an OFC. The first few chapters are very short too, this is because I wrote it initially in 2017 and I didn't understand how to write anything more than like 500 words at a time. You'll be able to know when it hits the newly written stuff - it's much longer and better pased.

Alex laid in his bunk, - well, half of him was in his bunk. The other half was on the floor - cuddled up to Jack and Caroline. The four year old had kept the two men up until the early hours of the morning due to multiple issues. First, she didn't feel good, then she was hungry, then she was too hot, next she couldn't sleep, then she was too cold.

Alex had managed to get just over an hours worth of sleep before he was awoken by his daughter - once again - whom was kicking in her sleep. Needless to say, he was exhausted, but he couldn't bring his body to allow him to fall back into a dreamless sleep. He had thought to get up and walk around the bus, but Caroline and Jack had both decided that his arm would make a comfortable pillow, though he couldn't be annoyed with the two. Of course, he had tried before, but it had lasted a whole six seconds.

About half an hour had passed before he felt movement from Jack. "Good morning, sunshine", Alex's voice was scratchy, as it usually is in the morning.

"Morning. What's the time?", Jack groaned softly, attempting to stretch in the bunk - while half of your husband and your four year old daughter was in there with you - was probably not the best idea.

The eldest of the two reached for his phone, squinting his eyes as the bright screen turned on. "6:30, god I'm so tired"

"How much sleep did you get?"

"Like, an hours worth. I'll be fine though, I'll just have some coffee."

Jack shook his head at his husband. "Babe, you need to sleep - we have a show tonight"#

Alex shrugged, he'd probably have a nap before the show - or at least that's what he had convinced himself - he voiced this thought and Jack sighed. He knew that there was no convincing the smaller man to sleep, he had tried - and failed - many times before. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened, but it most likely wouldn't be the last.

Jack sat up as well as he could, before looking down lovingly at his husband. He leaned over Caroline's sleeping figure and softly kissed Alex, who hummed in response. The latter took a breath before mumbling.

"I love you so much".

Jack smiled. "I love you too"

Caroline shifted on Alex's arm before raising her tiny fists to hey eyes and rubbing them. Jack laid back down and pulled the small girl on top of him, allowing Alex to shuffle in closer to Jack.

"Morning, Carrie", Alex spoke in a hushed sing-song voice, attempting not to wake up Rian or Zack.

Caroline giggled. "Morning, Papa"

Jack gently kissed her nose. "Good morning, Carrie"

"Hi, Daddy", the little girl giggled again.

"Are you excited to see us play tonight?", Jack asked, smile prominent in his voice.

Caroline nodded excitedly. A yawn could be heard from the bunk above, indicating that Rian was awake. A few minutes later, a yawn from Zack was heard. The young girl crawled out of her bunk, wanting to see Rian and Zack before breakfast. This was a regular occurrence in the bus, Caroline loved the other two members of the band almost as much as she loved her parents. Alex and Jack didn't mind, they were happy that she'd go and spend time with the others as it would give them time to cuddle for a few minutes.

Alex's head was rested on Jack's chest, the latter's hand running through the brown hair. The words that were shared by the two, only spoken in hushed whispers.

"Y'know, you're beautiful."

Alex blushed, hiding his face in the bare chest. Jack chuckled and pulled the older man up into a hug, as he whispered sweet nothings. The two slowly fell into a comfortable silence, listening to their daughter giggle and tell Rian and Zack about her dreams.

At this moment, Alex sighed, remembering just what had happened only four years ago. He wouldn't let it happen again. He closed his eyes, slowly slipping back into a peaceful slumber, his dreams filled with memories of four years ago.


	2. Chapter 2

It was the night of Alex's bachelor party, and Jack and Alex were quite tipsy. The two had multiple shots before the night begun. This - along with the three tequila shots and some whiskey - was the most likely reason as to why they were in Jack's bedroom. The eldest was pining the taller against the wall, while attacking the latter's neck. Of course, this wasn't the first time that they had found themselves in this situation, but they never thought they'd find themselves here after Alex had proposed. Currently, the boys didn't seem to care about that though, Jack was unsure if - for Alex - this was because of the alcohol, but the younger knew, in his hazy state, that he would easily do this without being drunk.

Soon, clothes were being flung carelessly across the room, leaving the two with no physical barriers between them. The two knew in the back of their minds that they shouldn't be doing this, that it was wrong and Alex was getting married in less than 24 hours, but they couldn't bring themselves to care. The tiny voice in their minds was disguised behind the haziness of the alcohol, and so they proceeded.

The next morning, Jack woke up to an empty bed, a pounding headache, and a note that read 'sorry about last night, it shouldn't of happened, especially the day before the wedding. Let's just forget about it.' Jack sighed sadly, moving into a sitting position and immediately wincing at the prominent pain coming from his lower back. He wished it was that easy, that he could just forget about his feelings towards Alex, but nothing is as simple as that. You just have to power through it until you meet someone new, but even then sometimes the feelings aren't truly gone, they weaken over time until you fall in love again, and your back to square one. That's how it had always been for Jack, no matter who he'd date, he'd always love Alex.

Jack took a glance at the clock and sighed again, he needed to have a shower and get dressed for the wedding. He wouldn't stay for long - it would be torturous for him to do so - but Alex is his best friend, and he promised that he would show up. After a few minutes of convincing himself to get out of bed, he managed to stand up and grab his glasses, immediately looking on the floor, trying to find that tell-tale piece of latex. His search came up empty and he checked the trash can, muttering curses under his breath as he saw that there was nothing in the can. He begun to shake, scared as to what could end up happening, and grabbed his phone to text Zack.

'Help, went home w/ Alex last night and no condom'

The text was sent, then read, and then a reply came through. 'I'll come over but Rian's gonna be with me'

Jack responded with a simple 'k' and quickly headed into the bathroom to have a rushed shower, ignoring the stinging of his eyes as tears threatened to fall. A few minutes later, as Jack was pulling on his underwear, he heard the door to his bedroom open.

"Jack?", a voice that could only be identified as Zack's yelled.

"Just a second."

He pulled on a t-shirt and his boxers and walked out of the bathroom. Zack's head immediately shot up when he heard the door unlock. The younger man took a deep breath before walking into his bedroom where Rian and Zack were sat on chairs, avoiding the bed at all costs. Zack stood up and opened his arms and Jack immediately ran into them, tears silently slipping down his face. The older man gently rubbed up and down Jack's back, soothing him as he quietly sobbed into his chest.

After a few minutes, Jack had stopped crying and pulled away from the hug. His breathing was shaky but he needed to tell Zack and Rian, they were the only two who knew about Jack's feelings for Alex.

"I couldn't find any condoms anywhere this morning", Jack looked down as he mumbled this. It was barely eligible, but Zack and Rian still heard. "I'm scared, I have no time whatsoever to go to the store and get the morning after pill, I feel like shit, I don't want to go to the wedding but I promised Alex. I'm just so fucking stressed, I could be pregnant with the man I love's child, but he doesn't love me back."

Jack's breathing became slightly faster than usual. He calmed himself down and begun to walk over to his closet, grabbing his suit. Behind him, he could hear Zack's phone go off, indicating a text, probably from Alex. "You can go, I'll be there soon."

"You sure? I don't wanna leave you if you're gonna end up hurting yourself.", Rian spoke up this time, worried for his friend.

Jack sighed and shook his head, indicating that Zack and Rian should go. The two sighed and walked out of the door and Jack begun to get dressed in his suit. He headed back into the bathroom and brushed his teeth before putting his shoes on. He didn't feel like eating breakfast, not right now.

When he headed out of his house, he didn't expect it to be so sunny. He didn't know why, maybe it was because of his mood? The boy shook his head, disappointed in how he felt. He knew that he was being selfish, that Alex and Rachel were going to get married, no matter what. Hell, if he had the guts he would have told Alex how he felt after the band's first ever show. He headed over to his car and got in, turning on his music as he begun to drive.

Halfway through the drive 'Guts' came on. Jack bit his lip, knowing that he should skip it, but at the same time trying to convince himself not to. He didn't know why, but Alex's voice always calmed him down and made him feel better. If only the feelings were mutual.

When he arrived at the venue, around four people surrounded him, dragging him up to where Alex was getting ready. When he walked in, Jack had to hold back tears. The realization that after today, the 'I love you' that was shared after each intimate moment back in high school meant nothing to Alex. That he was the best friend that every once in a while - when Alex was feeling lonely - would become a little more but just for an hour. The boy felt his heart drop, wanting nothing more than to run back to the car and drive back home, so that he could cry. He wished that he could, it would be so much better than facing the music.

Jack snapped out of his trance and begun talking with everyone else, staying close to Rian and Zack, and attempting to stay away from Alex. Of course, the latter took offence to that, but he eventually assumed that he didn't want to talk about the previous night, and how much of a mistake it was - to Alex at least.

Eventually, they were all called down, indicating that the wedding was going to start soon. Jack stood at the side, he didn't have to make a speech - luckily, when that was brought up Zack offered to do it - but he said he'd be there, even if it was just for the ceremony. 

Soon enough, the vows were being said, and at that moment Jack wished that it was him up there, instead of her, but it wasn't and no amount of wishing could change that. Jack could feel his heart shatter as they said there 'I do's and even more so when they kissed. When everyone was called through to get food, he ran to his car instead.

He couldn't take staying in a room with Alex, knowing that he could never be his. He drove home, skipping every All Time Low song that came on. When he arrived home he stripped down to his boxers, ran up to his room, and cried himself to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack awoke hours later with a tear-stained face, bloodshot eyes and an empty stomach. The boy sat up, a groan sounding from the back of his throat due to a throbbing head. He wanted to continue to sleep, but realised that he wouldn't be able to sleep with no food in his system.  
He shook off the pain, grabbed his phone - and glasses of course - and headed to the kitchen for both food and any painkillers that he could find.  
As he walked he still felt the slight pain caused by Alex, but at this moment he had other things to worry about; such as texts from friends - whom were worried about him - which were cluttering his phone.

Eventually, he made it into the kitchen after having to stop multiple times on the - short - walk so he could clutch his head in pain. On the kitchen counter he discovered a note, left by Rian and Zack - whom must have come to check on him sometime while he was asleep - which read 'made you food, its in the oven, just needs heating up for a minute or something. Alex isn't upset at you for leaving early, we convinced him that you were still hungover. - Z and R'.  
Jack smiled slightly at the note and turned the oven on to heat the food. After doing so, he grabbed a glass of water and some painkillers, taking them almost immediately. After a few minutes, he took the macaroni out of the oven and ate it, finishing the bowl within 3 minutes of it leaving the oven.

The boy walked through to the lounge and laid down as he turned on Netflix. He rolled over onto his side and unlocked his phone, squinting to allow his eyes to adjust to the bright screen. Shown on his screen were multiple texts from his friends, all of which were checking if he was okay. As he was scrolling - and responding - through the texts, he came across one from Alex; 'Hey, wanted to make sure that you're okay. Z said that you were still hungover. He and R went to check on you but you were asleep. Feel better. - A.'

While it was sent over four hours ago, it still made Jack grin as to the fact that Alex had thought about him. The grin quickly faded as a wave of nausea washed over him. He closed his eyes, willing the feeling to go away - which it did after a few minutes. When it washed away, he sighed as he realised that the crying had made him feel worse than he had initially realised.

As he was laid on the sofa, he was suddenly hit by a wave of panic as he remembered that he could be pregnant, with Alex's child. Alex was now a married man, there was no way that he would leave Rachel just because he accidentally knocked Jack up. He jolted up into a sitting position, breathing heavily as to try to calm himself down. The light from behind the blinds shone on him as he wiped his face, trying to will the tears away, not wanting to cry again. His body shook as his breathing slowed, and he wrapped his arms around his stomach, looking down at where there could possibly be another human growing inside of him.

He bit his lip, scared as he realised that he'd have to take care of the child by himself, no Alex to help out with the sleepless nights, and while Rian and Zack would probably help him out, they wouldn't be able to help him all the time. Jack closed his eyes, leaning back onto the sofa. He began to picture him with a small baby, maybe three weeks old, and they were both smiling down at each other. The child was slightly chubby, had brown eyes and a slight tuft of light brown hair, similar to Alex's when he was younger.

The man sighed happily, wanting it to be real, but at the same time wishing that there was no chance that there could be. As this thought was running through his mind, the doorbell rung. He stood and headed over to the door, opening it and immediately being attacked with a hug from Zack, Matt and Danny. 

A few minutes later, the men let the smaller, younger man go, and walked him to the lounge again. Zack spoke up first. "I explained what happened to them"

"Okay...what's...uh...what's the time"

Danny looked at his watch in record time. "It's around 7.30 am"

Jack's eyes grew wide, he had slept for the majority of the day all because of Alex. "Holy fuck"

Matt chuckled and wrapped an arm loosely around Jack's shoulder.

"I think we should talk about what we actually came to talk for"

Danny nodded. "Yeah...Zack, do you wanna...?"

Said man sighed, annoyed at the other two for attempting to avoid what was seemingly inevitable.

"Fine, since neither of you two will do it, I will. Jack, I know that this really isn't what you want to hear right now but you need to tell Alex if you are pregnant. Now, I know that you have your doubts, but he would be the father, and if you had gotten someone pregnant, wouldn't you want to know and maybe be a part of your child's life? Even more so if that person was your best friend who you've known since you were 14?"

Jack shook his head, not wanting to tell Alex, scared for the friendship that his life had revolved around for so many years. The friendship that had built the band, that had helped Jack through so many nights of terrifying thoughts. But then, the thought crossed his mind; what if not telling Alex ruins their friendship more than what telling Alex could do? What if Alex were to find out that Jack's child was also his own, and he were to be hurt by the fact that the man who was supposed to be his best friend, hadn't told him that he had a child, a child whom Alex had been told for months, or years, was the result of a drunken night with someone that Jack had hooked up with, and never saw again.

Jack's mind raced as all this processed. The white noise of the TV was getting on his nerves, he needed the silence to be filled, so he said the first word that came into his mind. 

"Fuck."


	4. Chapter 4

Everyone froze, confused and worried about their friend.

"What? What's wrong?"

Jack felt the whole world come crashing down around him, he couldn't get rid of it, – 'it' being the baby – but that would mean that he'd be touring while pregnant. That is, if he is. It could just not happen, nothing fertilised anything and he was safe, knowing his luck that wouldn't be the case. His hands shook and his breathing advanced. What if he was pregnant and he had to go on tour? The baby could get injured, and surely everyone would notice the lack of alcohol consumption? What if everyone found out that it was Alex's? It could seriously ruin everything that the band had, hell it'd ruin Alex's marriage. If this hadn't hit him before, it did now.

"I might be pregnant", he spoke in a small, monotone voice that still somehow carried the concern.

Zack took Matt's place beside Jack, who leaned on his friend and buried his face into the older man's shoulder as he sobbed. Eventually, the tears ran out, and Jack was left feeling terrible. He was handed a glass of water which he gratefully took and drunk after thanking Danny.

"Sorry for ruining your shirt", Jack spoke at a slow pace, scared that if he were to speed up he may crack again.

Zack shook his head. "You need to stop apologizing, I wouldn't have sat beside you if I didn't want this t-shirt wet. Besides, its old anyway."

Jack nodded cautiously and looked down, the realisation that he could possibly be carrying Alex's child, without the man even knowing it, had caused him to be full of anxiety. Zack wrapped an arm around the younger man.

"You're going to be okay, I promise."

Around 3 weeks later, the morning sickness had begun, and one of Jack's biggest fears had basically been confirmed. That's why he found himself in a drug store buying multiple boxes of pregnancy tests. His hands shook as he handed the cashier the money. His mind raced with thoughts as he sat in traffic in silence. He didn't want to face the truth, but he knew that this truth was inevitably going to have to be faced, if not now then in just under 9 months, when a screaming mix of him and Alex came into the world.

As he drove past the street in which Alex had used to live, he contemplated calling the man and telling him everything. Instead he drove straight past it and turned onto his street. The car stopped in the drive way. The warm, California air hit his bare arms, yet he shivered. His keys rattled as he pulled them out of his pocket. The door creaked a little as it swung open.

He slammed the door shut and all but ran into the bathroom. Said room was cold, it felt isolating almost, but Jack needed to do this. He needed to know the truth.

The process felt longer than it actually was, yet the alarm on the phone startled Jack. He picked up the little pink stick and stared in shock at the two pink lines that appeared in the oval shaped slit.


	5. Chapter 5

Tears filled Jack's eyes as he began to curse at everything.

"Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fucking shit"

He fell to the floor, sobbing as the alarm for the other three pregnancy tests went off. He grabbed them, sobbing even harder when all three came back positive. He was pregnant, because he and Alex weren't smart enough to use a condom. His sobs continued for minutes on end, his cursing also still prominent.

Jack's body shook in fear as his breathing evened out. He needed to tell someone, anyone. His mind immediately went to Alex, causing him to let out a large sob again. He couldn't tell Alex, not yet anyway. Through his sobs, he could vaguely hear the faint buzzing of his phone beside him, indicating that there was a call. He breathed slowly a few times before answering.

"Hello?", Jack attempted not to stutter.

"Jack!", a sigh of relief came from Jack as he recognised the voice of Zack "You're remembering that tour starts today, right?"

Jack could feel his heart in his throat as he worked up the courage to tell Zack.

"I completely forgot. Fuck, so many things are going wrong, Zack. I forgot about tour and I took four fucking pregnancy tests and they're all positive."

"We already have ice-cream on the bus, we can watch Home Alone and eat it to make you feel better, yeah? Just get packed, we're on our way."

The phone hung up after the men said their goodbyes and Jack sluggishly walked to his bedroom, glancing at the half-packed bags in the corner. The tour was for their new album, and of course something had to happen, it always does. He trudged over to the bags, pulling them onto his bed. Soon, jeans, t-shirts and underwear were thrown onto the bed. Jack aiming for the bags but ultimately missing them. Once about 10 pairs of jeans, 14 t-shirts and 24 pairs of underwear were thrown on the bed, Jack turned to pack them into the black, fabric bags.

He felt even more drained then before, but still dragged the bags to the front door before heading to the lounge to lay down while he waited for the rest of his friends to arrive. Soon – too soon for Jack's liking – the doorbell rang, indicating that the band was there. Jack rushed to the door, ignoring the bubbles of nausea in his stomach. As he opened the door, his face paled. He turned and ran into the bathroom, dropping to his knees as bile came up his throat and into the toilet bowl. He could faintly here Zack attempting to explain that the blue haired man had too much to drink the night before, and was still suffering with the consequences. Both men knew that the lie wasn't going to be able to last forever, especially if anyone noticed that he hadn't been drinking the night before. Eventually Alex would find out, but it would do for now, while Jack attempts to work out what he's going to do about the situation that he had found himself in.

Jack flopped down onto the cold tile floor beside the toilet, gasping and attempting to blink away the tears that had formed. Rian walked in seconds later with a cold glass of water.

"Thanks Ri"

Rian hummed in response and awkwardly sat facing Jack.

"So..." Rian begun, speaking in a whisper "You are pregnant? I'm assuming anyway, from the puking and the fact that Zack told me that you haven't drunk since you realised the possible reality"

Jack nodded, looking down at his currently flat stomach before looking back at Rian.

"Yeah, I think I want to keep it though. I don't even wanna think how they'd...you know...abort it, but I don't want someone else to raise my child when I could raise it."

Rian smiled softly, embracing Jack in a warm hug.

"You know we'll support you no matter what, Jack"

"Thank you for everything", the two were still speaking in a whisper.

"Now I guess you just need to work out how you're going to tell Alex"


End file.
